LATEST ADDITIONS

The S&V Interview
Brian Wilson on His Latest Pocket Symphony, No Pier Pressure
Mike Mettler  |  May 13, 2015
How does he do it? How does the eternal Beach Boy Brian Wilson keep composing all-new harmonically gorgeous and sonically seductive pocket symphonies (as he likes to call them), 50-plus years into his career? The answer, he says, is quite simple: “I know in my head — in my brain — how to do it.” Wilson’s marvelous brain has dreamt up scores of timeless classics, such as the instantly hummable singalongs “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “California Girls,” and “Love and Mercy” (to name but a few), and he’s just added 16 more gems to his storied canon on the Deluxe Edition of his 11th solo album, No Pier Pressure (Capitol). The angelic choral joy of “This Beautiful Day,” the pop confection perfection of “Saturday Night” — which features Wilson blissfully trading lead vocals with Nate Ruess of fun. — and the jaunty nautical shanty “Sail Away,” the latter a reunion with onetime Beach Boys bandmates Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin, all reinforce the fact Wilson remains very much in touch with his beautiful muse. Wilson, 73, and I recently discussed some of his production benchmarks, the difference between inspiration and influence, and what he thinks sounds the best on radio. God only knows — when it comes to six decades and counting of creating the soundtrack for an endless summer, Wilson continues to put forth nothing but good vibrations.
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Audio Video News
FCC Broadband Goal Supports UHD
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 13, 2015
In its 2015 Broadband Progress Report, the Federal Communications Commission has voted to change the definition of broadband from 4 to 25 Mbps for downloads and from 1 to 3 Mbps for uploads.
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Bluetooth Speaker Reviews
ClearView Clio Bluetooth Speaker Review
Bob Ankosko  |  May 13, 2015
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $349

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Blends into any décor
A cinch to setup
Clear, clean sound with vocal and acoustic music
Minus
Volume and bass are limited
Sound is confined
Pricey

THE VERDICT
Clio is an unobtrusive, one-of-a-kind speaker that is capable of producing clear yet confined sound with limited volume and bass potential.

They call Clio the first invisible speaker. And even though it’s not really invisible, when you put this unique specimen on a kitchen counter, end table, or fireplace mantel, it’s pretty darn hard to spot with its low-profile base and acrylic glass “windshield” that disappears into the room.

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Signals
Coming (Fairly) Soon: Car Theater
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  May 12, 2015
Start saving up now. In about 20 years, you'll have to buy another complete home theater. Except this one won't be at home. It will be in your car. Put in perspective, the Compact Disc is about 30 years old so 20 years isn't so far off. Like I say - start saving now.

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Ask S&V
How Much Power Do I Need for Height Speakers?
Al Griffin  |  May 12, 2015
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I’m planning a significant overhaul of my home theater and am leaning toward using the configuration suggested for Auro-3D: 10.1, with four corner speakers and one overhead voice-of-god speaker. In replacing my current AV receiver with separates, I am concerned about buying amplifiers that I can keep over the next several advances in surround sound tech/features. Here’s my question: When using height speakers, is it important that they be amplified at the same power as those near ear-level?—Quest Fanning / Brooklyn, NY

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Vote
What Type of Home Theater Speakers Do You Have?
SV Staff  |  May 12, 2015
When it comes to home theater sound, are you a tower speaker kind of guy/gal or do you prefer compact speakers that offload deep bass to a subwoofer? Or maybe you’re all about maintaining a stealth appearance with speakers concealed in the walls and/or ceiling.

Take a moment to tell us which of the scenarios below best describes your setup. And don’t forget to leave a comment to tell us how/why you chose it.

What Type of Home Theater Speakers Do You Have?
Subwoofer/satellite setup with five (or more) freestanding compact speakers and a subwoofer(s)
30% (488 votes)
Tower-based setup with full-range passive speakers in the front L/R positions plus a standalone subwoofer(s)
46% (741 votes)
Tower-based setup with full-range passive speakers in the front L/R positions and no standalone subwoofer
6% (99 votes)
Tower-based setup with full-range power towers (with built-in powered sub) in the front L/R positions plus a dedicated sub(s)
7% (116 votes)
Tower-based setup with full-range “power towers” (with built-in powered subs) in the front L/R positions and no dedicated sub
6% (90 votes)
In-wall/ceiling speakers plus a freestanding subwoofer
3% (54 votes)
In-wall/ceiling speakers, including an in-wall/ceiling subwoofer
1% (14 votes)
Total votes: 1602
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Tech2
The Wren V5US: A Small Speaker with Universal App-peal
Lauren Dragan  |  May 08, 2015
Wren recently expanded its successful V5 wireless sound system line with the addition of the V5US, which is the first of the Wren line to be compatible with multiple wireless platforms: AirPlay, Play-Fi, and Bluetooth. According to Wren, the V5US is the only Apple certified multi-platform speaker. The V5US functions as a stand-alone bookshelf speaker, or can be connected to up to eight other speakers in a multi-room and multi-zone system. I got to check out the V5US recently, and put it through its paces.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Palm Beach Story
Fred Kaplan  |  May 08, 2015
Picture
Sound
Extras
Preston Sturges, whose rise and fall were as sudden and steep as any in cinema (except for that of Orson Welles), had his peak years from 1940–44, writing and directing seven of the greatest American film comedies ever, and The Palm Beach Story sprung forth in precisely the middle of the run. A head-spinning romp through the joys and foibles of love, marriage, money, and class, it practically defines “screwball comedy,” with its Alpine plot twists, nonstop mayhem, rapid-fire dialogue, razor-sharp wit, and madcap but extremely good-natured characters.
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Music Reviews
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Mike Mettler  |  May 08, 2015
Ahhh, reggae. What is also known as Jamaican dance music has become nothing less than an international phenomenon, thanks in no small part to the pioneering sounds of Bob Marley, who would have been 70 this year. (Marley died of cancer at the relatively young age of 36 in 1981.) Calling Marley the king of reggae is a bit like saying 4K Ultra HD looks fantastic—it’s a fairly obvious statement, but no less profound. The seminal ’60s and ’70s work of Bob Marley & The Wailers literally defined a music genre that continues to engage people the world over—in fact, it may be the most universal music there is.
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Tower Speaker ReviewsSpeaker Buying Tips
Top 10 Tower Speakers: $3,000 or Less
Rob Sabin  |  May 08, 2015
Ready for a nice, new set of gleaming tower speakers? Here’s our Top 10 list of models costing between $1,400 and $3,000 a pair, complete with rationales for why each model made the cut.
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